Blade guide



Mairch 20 1934.,

BLADE GUIDE Filed March 8, 1932 4 INVENTOR H is ATTORNEYS H. c. GELLMAN LQMfiW Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 3 Claims.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in blade guides, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction I of this character which will be highly efficient in use and economical in manufacture.

In bread slicing machines, prior to my invention, it has been the custom to provide as a component part of the machine a loaf supporting chute or table usually inclined so that the bread loaf may be moved either manually or by gravity toward a plurality of reciprocatory slicing knives.

These knives are reciprocated at a speed such that the bread will be cleanly sliced and in a manner that will reduce the production of crumbs to a minimum.

In order to accomplish these latter features, it is important that the knives be prevented from lateral vibration or sway or axial twist. When either of these conditions exists the knives which are tensioned near to a breaking point will be ruptured at the points of connection with the frame supporting the same, which rupture is caused by the lateral vibration or sway or axial twist of the knives.

Further, it has been found that lateral vibration or sway or the axial twist of the knives tend to wear the walls of the knife guiding slots. These slots generally are formed in the chute or table, and inasmuch asthis table or chute is of relatively thin material, there is not sufiicient bearing surface to withstand the wear or to properly guide the knives to prevent the vibration or sway or the axial twist. It is, therefore, one of the many objects of this invention to overcome these obvious objections and to provide a simple and effective means which will function to the highest degree of efficiency for guiding the knives in a true line of movement, thus eliminating lateral vibration or sway and axial twist and the requirement of tensioning the knives to a condition near the breaking point.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved means for properly guiding the slicing knives and preventing lateral play thereof during the slicing operation without exerting the strain upon the knives hereinbefore described.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form of construction, and inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bread slicing are not capable of guiding the knives in their machine described in my co-pending U. S. application Serial No. 548,244, filed July 1, 1931;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2--2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of my improved blade guides, on line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of my improved blade guides.

In the drawing 10 indicates my improved bread slicing machine as described in my co-pending application hereinbefore identified. This machine comprises a gravity feed chute or table 11 down which the loaves of bread are fed to the slicing knives 12. These knives 12 are mounted for reciprocatory movement on frames 13, which frames 13 are reciprocated in a manner such as is disclosed in my co-pending application hereinbefore referred to.

The knives 12 may be attached to the frames 13 by means of any improved connecting means such, for example, as described in my co-pending application hereinbefore referred to. In this connection the connecting means includes bolt and nut structures 14.

The chute 11 is provided with a bread stop 13' which may be formed as an integral part thereof as shown by bending the lower edge of the chute to provide an upstanding flange 14 against which flange the bread as sliced is lodged. This chute at a point adjacent the stop 13 is provided with a plurality of spaced slots 15 for the passage of the knives 12.

From the description hereinafter set forth, it will be apparent that the width of the slots 15, as compared with the thickness of the knives, need not be determined with accuracy. Where it is the aim to determine the width of these slots with accuracy as compared with the thickness of the knives, as heretofore has been customary, it is then necessary that the knives be tensioned to acondition near the breaking point because these slots not having relatively wide bearing surfaces true line of movement, and consequently when operative upon the bread loaf, the knives vibrate or sway laterally and twist relative to their axis, and this continuous vibration and twisting ultimately results in the knives rupturing at their point of connection with the reciprocatory frame.

To overcome this objectionable feature I form the slots in the chute or table of a width substantially greater than the thickness of the knives, and then I mount, preferably beneath the chute,

of a solid block having the requisite slots 17 formed therein or in the form of channel-shaped members 18 as shown in the drawings of this application, which channel-shaped members are connected by suitable connecting elements 19 to the chute or table 11.

When this guiding structure is composed of channel-shaped members, they are positioned with their bottom walls inverted against the bottom side of the chute. The side flanges 20 of each guiding channel are offset at their inner end portions so that when these guiding channels are placed in parallel relation with respect to each other, the offset portions 21 will be in abutment with respect to each other and consequently position and accurately place the non-offset portions 22 in proper spaced relation to provide guiding slots 1'7 of accurate width to smoothly accommodate the known thickness of the knives. These slots it will be seen as provided between the channel-shaped members have walls 23 which provide relatively large bearing surfaces between which the knives pass in their reciprocatory movement through the slots 17. These comparatively deep slots with their wide bearing surfaces resist any lateral movement or axial twist of the knives, and consequently the usual wear and ultimate rupture of the knives are reduced to a minimum.

By the use of a slicing machine as herein described, the loaf of bread is sliced cleanly and the production of bread crumbs is reduced to a minimum.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to theprecise'details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

a guiding structure 16 which may be in the form 1. A guiding unit for reciprocatory knives of a bread slicing machine having a chute comprising elongated members secured to the chute and having adjacent wall portions provided with end portions offset outwardly, the ofiset portions being disposed in abutting relation with respect to each other to space the non-offset portions of the walls to provide slots through which the knives reciprocate, the said non-offset portions being provided with relatively large bearing surfaces which function to stabilize the knives during movement 2. A stabilizer for a slicing machine which slicing machine comprises a chute having a plurality of slots formed therein for the passage of reciprocatory knives, including a structure secured to the chute and comprising adjacent units each channel shaped in cross-section with adjacent walls spaced to provide slots in substantial alignment with the slots of the chute and said walls providing a relatively large bearing surface functioning to stabilize said knives during reciprocation.

3. A bread slicing machine comprising a feed chute having a row of slots formed therein adjacent one end thereof, alternating series of spaced reciprocating slicing knives movable through said slots forslicing operation upon loaves of bread fed along said chute, and a stabilizer in operative relation with respect to the knives for stabilizing the lmives during slicing operation upon said loaves of bread and comprising a body mem- I ISRAEL C. GELLMAN. 

